Note and Comment.

NO WRITER ATTRIBUTED
December 10, 1887

The Harvard CRIMSON of Nov. 22, and the Advocate published soon after, gave a great deal of editorial space to commenting upon a so-called extract of Captain Beecher's speech at the alumni meeting in New York. And now the Thursday issue of the CRIMSON once more devotes much space to this subject and to lamenting over the new rupture which that speech has made in our present friendly relations with Harvard. We have been reluctant to enter into a controversy upon this matter for the sake of that good feeling which we thought existed between Harvard and Yale, but whose growth we now learn has been "blasted." It was bad enough to have the words and sentiments of Mr. Beecher misquoted in the daily papers, but when it comes to the CRIMSON and Advocate making this misrepresentation the basis of undignified and personal attack we can but take the stand in Mr. Beecher's defense. Last spring there was a mutual agreement between the college publications at Harvard and Yale to take all statements which appeared in the daily papers concerning college matters with a great deal of charity. If we remember rightly, the CRIMSON and Advocate were the prime movers of this wise plan; and now our friends, regardless of the good principles which they then advanced, have come down from their noble platform and allowed themselves to give utterance to words which we are charitable enough to believe must only be the expression of feelings peculiarly wrought up at the present time.

Mr. Beecher did not give utterance to the words quoted, nor was the sentiment which he wishes to convey, and which he did convey to those present, such as our contemporary would have its readers believe. Captain Beecher did not train his team "to fight the referee," nor did any one who heard what he said take it that way. The idea which he did give was that he had trained his team to win in spite of all obstacles, even if the referee were one of them. If the Harvard papers have reached that state where they wish to stake their pleasant relations with Yale upon such a petty matter, we are truly sorry and can but express pity.

Last spring we had abundant opportunity to ferment a spirit of "strife" over the disgraceful conduct of a certain member of the Harvard nine on the Yale field, and also over the malignant articles which appeared in Harvard papers-on the game where no regard was paid to the truth-but we let it pass by in silence for the sake of that good feeling which we joined heart and soul in trying to bring about. The manly spirit as displayed by our athletic teams and by the college in general, we think is quite on a "level" with that displayed by Cambridge representatives and the feeling against "muckerism" is fully as strong.-Yale News.